This book was a hallmark movie with added SPICE and I was here for it!

Kissing Creek is a cute quaint little town where Llamas wander (well, one wanders), libraries have active book clubs, and one librarian, Sloane, is trying to create the roots she never had as a child.

Ryan is an MLB star missing his team’s best season due to an injury and stuck in Kissing Creek out of necessity and not want.

These two are forced into proximity by the small town forces that be and out comes such a cute rom com with just the right amount of spice. I laughed and cried reading this one and I had so many feelings!

My chest lurched, at the third act turn and I found myself so invested in Sloan and Ryan’s story that I was glued to it!

The beginning starts off slow, but ultimately this one was the perfect Spring time light read and I highly recommend to anyone who wants their Hallmark movies to have more life (and did I mention the SPICE?!)

Another thing I loved about this one was the attention to family. This book truly dives into outer relationships as well as focusing on our two main characters, as humans we aren’t at our best when we’re lonely, and that is a theme that is majorly apparent.

I loved the book club, the spicy reading choice, the re-enactments, the family time, and ultimately I just loved this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't read the first book in this series but I didn't really feel like I needed to. The characters were developed fairly well but I didn't especially love the Big Misunderstanding at the end. I have a feeling it won't bother most romance readers though.
Ryan Bower is back in Kissing Creek in his parents house. Yes, it sucks that he's out with an injury while his MLB team is on their way to winning it all. Yes, it also sucks that he's aging out of this career and a young phenom has stepped into his place. What really sucks at the moment though is listening to his parents... having sex. Just... ew. And their love life has picked up because of a book they're reading in the local library book club. And that's not okay. So he decides to confront the local librarian.
Sloan Rickman has picked Kissing Creek as a place to finally grow roots. Growing up, her parents moved her all over the world so she never really had a chance to make friends. But she's been in one little town, helping to run the library, and getting to wear all of her nerdy, dinosaur-themed clothes. It's not in her plan to meet someone whose career would take precedence over hers just like her mother's did over her father's. And that just didn't end well, did it? So why even bother? Especially when he's standing in her library blaming her for his parents enjoying a book a little too much. But then they start working together on a float for the local parade and it seems they might have a spark of something that isn't exactly disgust...

Three and a half stars
This book comes out March 21, 2022
Follows Kissing Lessons
ARC kindly provided by Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Loved this rom com! Sloane and Ryan strike up unlikely friendship that turns into so much more. Ryan has returned home to nurse a baseball injury when he meets librarian, Sloane. Sloane has made Kissing Creek her new home and does not plan on leaving any time soon, even though her heart tells her to follow major league pitcher, Ryan.

Loved the banter between these two, had me laughing through out the story. Loved the emotions of the importance of family and friends. Enjoyed the guest appearance of Lillie the llama. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand alone.

This was cute but again there are many better romances out there. I enjoyed the main plot line but didn’t but their connection

This book was given to me by netgalley. This review is 100% honest and my own opinion.

The kissing games was an amazing and cute romcom. I loved how Ryan weaves himself into your heart and pulls at it continuously. I kept feeling empathy for the poor man. This man has a depressive state about him especially after a shoulder injury preventing him from doing what he loves.

But when he found his parents having sexy romantic relations all thanks to a book from a book club... I lost it. This had me cracking up laughing. I loved how the author was willing enough to write a male character who wasn't afraid to read a romance novel!

What I also loved was the fact that it was the same "book" from book club that brings our mcs lives together. This story definitely had me wheeling with emotions. I was cheerleading for what I wanted most for the main character.

100% recommend!

This is a first time read for me by this author and it definitely won't be my last. I absolutely loved this book!

I've been crazy about romantic comedies lately especially with my hectic schedule, and this one definitely fits the bill. This book is the kind of book that will leave your cheeks hurting from smiling so much, i was smiling from the start to the end and in sure my family thought I had gone crazy but eh can't do nothing about that. This was such a such a sweet, sugary romantic comedy, i absolutely loved it!! I will definitely be checking out more books by the author and would definitely recommend you do the same!!

Sloan is a small town librarian leading the local book club when she meets one of the members sons, a recently injured pro baseball player, Ryan. Thanks to the monthly book club pick, a steamy romance novel, things heat up in and outside of the bedroom.

This is a perfectly spicy rom-com with humor and well thought out realistic characters. I have not read the first book in this series, but this one was quite enjoyable as a standalone. I will definitely be going back to read the first one. I would recommend this book for someone looking for a light, fun and flirty read with witty banter and laugh out loud moments.

I want to thank NetGalley, Stefanie London and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

# Kissing Games

3.5

I enjoyed the typical enemies to friends to lovers trope, but I thought it felt a bit juvenile. The dinosaur quirk was not my favourite, however, I liked the baseball addition.

Overall I thought this was pretty well-paced, fun and the characters were well fleshed out. My issue was that some of the dialogue and descriptions felt like they were of a more “wattpad” style than I would have expected. The descriptions of the clothes and style also read a bit like self-insert fanfiction of the early 2000s.

While there were bits I didn’t fully enjoy, I thought the message and themes of the novel were really well written and important to discuss. It was also really engaging and interesting and I couldn’t put it down, so I ended up reading most of it on various planes, trains and metros.

When I got offered the arc for Kissing Games I hesitated a little bit. My first experience with Stefanie London was sugary sweet, but a bit slow in Forever Starts Now.

And I also am usually not a fan of starting in the middle of a series. And Kissing Games is the second in the Kissing Creek series.

But the blurb was just too funny to pass this one up. A sports celebrity embarrassed at his parents house, because his parents having sex. Loudly and often. Because of a romance novel…. Too funny. And indeed, it was a cute and hilarious story. Sloane is the ultimate quirky librarian with a dinosaur obsession: all her clothes have a dinosaur print on them.

After a life of moving around, Sloane is trying to grow some roots in Kissing Creek. But the big surly and hunky guy who just entered her library clearly can’t enjoy her efforts in entertaining a book club in town.

Ryan was supposed to take it easy for a few weeks. Recover from his injury away from the prying eyes of the media. Because at thirty five, everyone is speculating whether Ryan will get another contract or not. But now, he can’t get no peace and quiet,

because the whole town is getting excited because of a book club, hosted by one fiery tiny powerhouse of a woman. When Ryan confronts Sloane, he and she accidentally get roped into working together for a Halloween event at the town.

Working together, sparks are flying and Ryan finally feels something of a glimpse of a life after sports. But he isn’t ready to leave his sports- life. And Sloane really doesn’t want to leave kissing creek. So, they are at a crossroads: will they move along on their current path or will someone choose to take a different route? Find out for yourself in this wonderful read from Stefanie London. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

This is a first time read for me by this author and it definitely won't be my last. I absolutely loved this book! I've been crazy about romantic comedies lately, and this one definitely fits the bill. From the start this book will put a smile on your face and keep you smiling till the end and the smile will still be there long after you have finished. Ryan and Sloane were well-developed and relatable characters and I just fell in love with them. Their chemistry was undeniable and their witty banter was really enjoyable. This is is a sweet, fun, friends to lovers story that was absolutely adorable! This is the second book in the Kissing Creek series and after reading this, I would really love to try more books by this author, starting by going back and reading the first installment.
I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining and absolutely adorable story and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to read it.

I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

These two were so cute together! I related to Sloane a lot and I could understand where she is coming from. I also love the ending that includes what they would both want in a relationship so it’s not that one has to give in and follow the other’s path. It’s a lovely mix of both. Overall this was a fun, exciting book that gave me several hours of escapism and enjoyment.

I loved this fun small town, sport romance! A baseball player and dinosaur-enthusiast are unexpectedly thrown together thanks to a spicy romance pick for a library book club. The banter that follows is great and the steamy scenes were IT! I need more sports romances after this one because it was great!

Kissing Games is the second book in the Kissing Creek series by Stefanie London. I read this as a standalone and did not have any trouble keeping up. This was a fun, steamy, and emotional story that will capture you in the beginning.
Ryan is an MLB pitcher who has gone back to his hometown of Kissing Creek to recover from a torn ACL. He thought staying with his parents in his childhood home would be boring but soon found out otherwise. He discovered the new librarian in town had chosen a steamy romance for the book club that month therefore his parents were doing things he did not want to know about or hear. He was determined to meet the librarian and tell her it was an inappropriate book for the town. Sloane had moved around her entire life as the daughter of a military family and wanted a place to settle down and grow roots. She loves being a librarian and loves the people in the small town of Kissing Creek. With Ryan’s help, she meets more people and starts new friendships, which are important to her. Ryan and Sloane both have their futures planned out and a relationship between them would be impossible. Can they find a middle ground that will allow them to have a future together?
The book was fun, and the characters were wonderful. I really enjoyed seeing Ryan and Sloane’s relationship grow and them finding a way to make things work for them. This was a fantastic book and the perfect book for a quiet day of reading.

This is my first time reading this author and I really enjoyed her writing style. This looks like its the second book in the series but it reads as a stand alone.

At times my heart broke for Sloan. her father is a piece of work, and she never talks to her mom and she is such a lonely woman. She is the town do-gooder because she is wanting to make friends but its so hard for her to get close to others.

Ryan has an amazing family but he knows he is only in town temporarily so he feels lonely too and is missing baseball. I love that when he and Sloane become friends he really listens to and supports her, even as he helps her find some friends.

I loved Sloane a lot and I adored Ryan but they both had to learn to compromise and that love is so precious. They both had some growing up to do and I loved watching them learn how real relationships work and that compromise is not always easy but that its worth it for someone you love.

This was a light romance with lots of humor and great characters I really liked and a plot that kept me interested until the last page. Its also a story about two loners who find each other and help each other get out of their own heads and out into the world even if sometimes love is a risk.

This book was provided by Netgally for a honest review. All of my opinion and impressions are my own.

What do you get when you mix a spicy book for a monthly book club pick, parents trying to recreate the infamous chapter 21, a naughty Llama that likes treats, a grumpy baseball player on the mend and a dinosaur obsessed sunshine librarian? You get this lovely book. Ryan and Sloane take each other one in a game of one upping the other all the while desperately trying not to fall in love. Their own fears and futures may be the one thing to try and separate them but it might also be what keeps them together in the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to looking at other works by this author.

I've read several books by Stefanie London (I particularly liked the ones she wrote for the now defunct Harlequin DARE line), including Kissing Lessons, the introduction to her Kissing Creek small town romance series.  Kissing Games, the second entry, has a fairly typical plot – an injured baseball star who is nursing himself back to health in his hometown meets a woman who makes him rethink his future. But there's enough here to differentiate it from other books with a similar storyline, leaving a memorable and fun impression.

Ryan Bower is a major league pitcher with several major league problems. An injured knee, a contract about to expire, the realization that at thirty five his playing days are numbered, and discovering upon convalescing at home, that his parents are acting like newlyweds.  The blame for the latter appears to be the library book Stormy Pleasures he finds on the coffee table, with a sticky note attached, announcing it to be the current choice of the library book club run by Sloane Rickman.

Sloane is living the dream – well, her dream.  A friendly small town, a house all her own with a vegetable garden, a coffee shop where people know what her usual drink is, and a job she loves as the town librarian. When Ryan enters her library to complain about how the book club's choice is giving him sleepless nights, she stands her ground. No one says bad things about book club, and he can take his antiquated views on sex and put them where the sun don't shine.

Confused, (he likes sex just fine thank you very much!), and having struck up a weirdly antagonistic relationship with the adorably cute librarian with a penchant for dinosaur-themed clothing, Ryan finds himself picking up and reading the book out of curiosity (since everyone he encounters seems to have thoughts on Chapter 21). He also has to take his dad's place on the Halloween parade committee when his father injures his back (don't ask), which is headed by none other than Sloane (of course).  Forced to work together, Ryan and Sloane come to a truce and discover they kind of like being in each other’s company. But Ryan's plans don't include staying put for a minute longer than his recovery requires, and Sloane has finally put down roots meant to stay. Can they find their way to a happy future together?

I love romance books that use their storylines to prop up the genre so I think the author (who is’ incidentally. also a librarian) picks a fun way to do that by having many of the older women in town - including Ryan's mother - be enthralled by a steamy romance. Ryan and Sloane's first meeting has plenty of witty banter that continues through most of the story (including via text), that made me laugh out loud several times.

Ryan turns out to be quite a sweetheart despite the initial impression he gives. When Sloane shares with him that she's had trouble making friends of her own age since she moved to town three years earlier, Ryan introduces her to an old friend recently returned to town who is still trying to find her feet and who could use a friend herself. When Sloane shares with him the challenging relationship she has with her father, he's on her side. In return though, Sloane comforts Ryan as his team makes the playoffs without him, and she provides a sounding board as he talks about his injury and his professional future. And it isn't long before they end up in bed together in some steamy scenes even if they are both convinced that it's going to be a fling with an expiration date.

Sloane's baggage includes her parents' divorce, which she believes was a result of her mother's career - which took her around the world while father and daughter uprooted themselves to follow her. It meant she never stayed long enough in one place to make friends, and has given her the impression that following someone for their career is bound to end in failure. As for Ryan, he's sacrificed a lot for his baseball career, and his chances to reach the pinnacle - and the World Series - are fading with every year. Given the choice between a relationship and baseball, he's always picked the sport. The obstacles facing their HEA are obvious, but the author does a splendid job of creating the compromise that results in a very satisfying ending.  Overall Kissing Games is a lighthearted, low angst, sexy, and funny romance which I'm happy to recommend.

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I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The characters, both main and supporting, were so fun. The humor was great while also balanced with the heavier emotions. Was it hard-hitting and deep? No, but it was a nice, quick, fun read.

Star MLB pitcher Ryan returns to his hometown of Kissing Creek, Massachusetts to take a break from the big leagues as he rehabs his torn ACL. Librarian Sloane has made herself at home in the town, trying to establish roots and settle down after growing up with a family constantly on the move. When Sloane’s controversial community book club pick starts to make Ryan uncomfortable in his own home and their paths start to cross as small town paths do, the chemistry and tension builds with the caveat that it doesn’t become anything more than what it already is. Will Ryan leave behind his major league ways or will Sloane set aside the stability she longs for to let her love follow his dreams?

This book was sweet and saccharine (as the author often uses to describe the romance between the two leads) and though it took me a bit to get into it as the slow build was almost too slow, once the story picked up, I had a hard time putting it down. I thought London created two dynamic characters with strong personalities and I really felt akin to Sloane’s fiery wit and charm at my instances as I read. I love a book set in a small town because the supporting characters add so much to the story and this book was no different.

What I loved most about this book was how raw and realistically the emotions of the characters are written. You are feeling the frustration, the excitement, the annoyance, and the deepening love and desire right alongside the growth of the relationship. I was definitely expecting this book to be more spicy than it was, but the wholesome story made this book all the more relatable. I’ve never read the first book in the Kissing Creek series so this can easily be read as a standalone, but I will be adding book 1 to my TBR.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m a sucker for a good sports romance, this definitely qualifies. It’s a funny and charming read that I really enjoyed. The book club members are hilarious and apparently up for anything!
Ryan and Sloan have great natural chemistry, it never felt forced. I think that the discussions of an athlete’s long term career and the pros and cons of continuing to play professional sports after age/injuries were really well done. 4 stars.

Synopsis:
“Injured pro baseball player Ryan Bower has plenty of reasons for not sleeping. But thanks to a steamy romance novel that’s ignited the imaginations—and libidos—of pretty much everyone in Kissing Creek, Ryan’s kept awake by the sound of his parents. Having sex. Unforgivably gross. And Ryan is almost certain that the town’s adorably quirky and troublemaking librarian is responsible.

Sloane Rickman adores everything about her little town—with the exception of its very tall and infuriatingly sexy Golden Boy. Ryan Bower may be a ball-playing hottie, but where exactly does he get off telling her what books to recommend to her oddball little book club? Good thing he’s only in town for the fall.”

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own

Ryan Bower is a major league pitcher with a major league problem: An injured knee, a contract about to expire, the realization that at 35 his playing days are numbered, and discovering upon convalescing at home that his parents are acting like newlyweds. The blame for the latter appears to be the library book 'Stormy Pleasures' that he finds on the coffee table, with a sticky note attached, announcing it to be the current choice of the library book club run by Sloane Rickman.

Sloane is living the dream – well, her dream. A friendly small town, a house all her own with a vegetable garden, a coffee shop where people know what her usual drink is, and a job she loves as the town librarian. When Ryan enters her library to complain about how the book club's choice is giving him sleepless nights, she stands her ground. No one says bad things about book club, and he can take his antiquated views on sex and put them where the sun don't shine.

Confused, (he likes sex just fine thank you very much!), and having struck up a weirdly antagonistic relationship with the adorably cute librarian with a penchant for dinosaur themed clothing, Ryan finds himself picking up and reading the book out of curiosity (since everyone he encounters seems to have thoughts on 'Chapter 21'). He also has to take his dad's place on the Halloween parade committee when his father injures his back (don't ask) headed by none other than Sloane (of course). Forced to work together, Ryan and Sloane come to a truce and discover they kind of like being in each others company. But Ryan's plans don't include staying put for a minute longer than his recovery requires and Sloane has finally put down roots meant to stay. Can they find their way to a happy future together?

I love romance books that use their storylines to prop up the genre so I think the author (who is incidentally also a librarian) picked a fun way to do that by having many of the older women in town be enthralled with a steamy romance, including Ryan's mother. Ryan and Sloane's first meeting has plenty of witty banter that continues through most of the story (including via text), and made me laugh out loud several times.

Ryan turns out to be quite a sweetheart despite the initial impression he gives. When Sloane shares with him that she's had trouble making friends who are her age since she moved to town three years ago, Ryan introduces her to an old friend recently returned to town who is still trying to find her feet and who could use a friend herself. When Sloane shares with him the challenging relationship she has with her father, he's on her side. In return though, Sloane comforts Ryan as his team makes the playoffs without him, and she provides a sounding board as he talks about his injury and his professional future. And it isn't long before they end up in bed together in some steamy scenes even if they are both convinced that it's going to be a fling with an expiration date.

Sloane's baggage includes her parents' divorce, which she believes was a result of her mother's career which took her around the world while she and her father would uproot themselves and follow her. It meant she never stayed long enough in one place to make friends, and gave her the impression that following someone for their career is bound to end in failure. As for Ryan, he's sacrificed a lot for his baseball career and his chances to reach the pinnacle, and the World Series, are fading with every year. Given the choice between a relationship and baseball, he's always picked the sport. The obstacles facing their happy ending are obvious but the author does a splendid job of creating the compromise that results in a very satisfying ending. Overall it's a lighthearted, low angst, sexy, and funny romance which I'm happy to recommend.

Review will be posted at All About Romance and feedback updated with the link.